1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to tracking devices, and more particularly to an information tracking device for tracking use of a medication.
2. Description of Related Art
It is well known in the art that patients sometimes forget which medications that they need to take, and which doses have already been taken. The problem can be especially acute for patients who are taking a large number of medication, or who are elderly or otherwise have a poor or impaired memory. The prior art therefore teaches many devices for tracking doses of medication taken by the patient.
Some dose tracking systems are fairly simple and low-tech. For example, a series of small containers, labeled for the various days of the week, can be pre-filled with vitamins and/or certain medications, and each container can be consumed at a certain time of day. While such a solution works well with vitamins that are taken daily, it is not as well suited for medications, which are often taken 2-3 or more times per day. It is also not desirable to separate the medications from their original container, because the containers contain printed information about the medication, and confusion about which medications are which can have serious ramifications.
Other dose tracking devices utilize computer systems to track complex medication regiments. De la Huerga, U.S. Pat. No. 6,529,446, for example, teaches an interactive medication container that holds various containers of medications, and helps track the dispensing of the medications.
Goetz et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,421,650, teaches a medication management system that includes a computer network that connects the pharmacist, the doctor, and the patient with a comprehensive management system. The system includes a patient component that tracks medication dose schedules and includes an alarm system for alerting the patient when it is time to take their medication.
Goetz, U.S. Pat. No. 6,314,384, teaches a medication management system for tracking medications. The system comprises a portable unit and a software application program loaded in a PC-type computer. The portable unit consists mainly of a compact portable housing which contains an LCD display; audible alerts; pushbutton controls; battery power; and electronic circuitry to receive, store and display data. The portable unit can be programmed with dosage information regarding the particular medication, track when a particular medication has been taken, and sound an alarm when time to take another dose. The portable unit also checks for contraindications and warns of adverse reactions the patient would have with a particular drug or if a particular drug cannot be mixed with another drug presently being taken by the patient. The portable unit can receive, store, and display a patient's medical history, which can be downloaded from a PC-type computer loaded with suitable software.
Walters, U.S. Pat. No. 5,751,661, teaches a medication dosage timing apparatus which measures and displays time in response to the opening and closing of a medication bottle or container. A timing circuit and display are mounted on a circuit board and attached to a container cap. A battery is mounted on a disk which slidably moves within the container cap between a first position wherein electrical contacts on the circuit board engage the battery and activate or power the timing circuit and display, and a second position wherein the electrical contacts are disengaged from the battery and the timing circuit and display are deactivated. When the container cap is attached to the container, the battery and disk are held in the first activating position, and when the container cap is removed from the container, the battery and disk slide down into second, deactivating position. Each time a user opens and closes the medication container, the timing circuit and display are reset and re-started.
The prior art teaches different devices for aiding a user in scheduling medication doses. However, the prior art does not teach a simple mechanical tracking device which can simply and easily track doses taken without removing the medication from its original container. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as described in the following summary.